Half Life: A Wrath Unknown
by inthebox44
Summary: Experience the thrills that Alyx, Gordon, Barney, and some new characters experience in their adventures after Episode 2! Combine are killed and new discoveries are made in my first Fan Fiction. A thrilling read! Feedback and reviews welcome.
1. A Familiar Face

**This is my first fan fiction, and it starts shortly after Episode 2 ends. I introduce some new characters along the way, and even though this chapter is short, the others get longer. This is just an introductory chapter, so to say. I would appreciate any feedback and reviews, as this is my first Fan Fiction! Enjoy!**

1.

"Gordon.. Gordon... NO.. no..."

"Alyx..."

Alyx had come to before Gordon had.. She was sitting beside her father with Dog close by.

"Alyx.. I'm so.. sorry... I know what it feels like.. I know I can't be you, but I have been through what you have before.. I tried what I could.. There was nothing I could do. Alyx.. I.." Gordon said as he knelled beside her. Dog bowed its head as it howled a long rhythm of sounds, and Gordon got up to look outside.

The rocket had launched successfully and the portal was terminated shortly before Eli's death. It was his last act, so to say, as a Resistance leader.

Alyx got up slowly and looked outside. "What do we do now? It's all been destroyed! Resistance has been infiltrated, and we haven't a clue where to start..."

"The Borealis is where we start Alyx. It's the only hope.. But what do we do with it? What technology is so powerful that it draws our friends and our foes both?"

"But dad.. he wanted it destroyed. It was his last wish. Something is on that boat. But there's only one person now that has any clue what it might be."

"Judith.." they both said.

Judith Mossman was the only one who had any idea as to what was on that boat. She was the one who had sent the transmission of files showing Borealis's blueprints and descriptions, as well as its supposed location. However their last known contact with her ended abruptly when Mossman's base was attacked by the combine. Gordon and Alyx still believed her to be alive, and now need to get in contact with her.

Others from the base started filing into the room to see the path of destruction left behind by the advisors. Some had to turn away, but still others came forth in defiance. "No.. there's no way.." they said.

They all stood together in silence. This was the moment that defined the resistance. This moment meant more to them than they knew. The deafening silence was something they weren't used to at all. After so many years of conflict and trouble, this unwelcome sound should have been heralded. Instead, it was dreadful and strong.

As quickly as silence had come, however, it was broken by the sound of some car tearing through the front gate of the lab. Gordon turned around, headed for a nearby hole in the wall. He peered over the torn and shattered bricks to make out the form of a man stepping out of a vehicle.

"Barney!?"


	2. One Last Time

2.

Gordon and Alyx stood in disbelief as Barney Calhoun stepped out of a torn and totaled dune buggy.

They hadn't seen him since they had tried to save the citizens from the Combine. Last they had heard, he escaped from City 17 and was fighting Combine to the north of them with a small resistance unit labeled Turma. From what Gordon and Alyx heard, Turma encountered plenty of trouble... But they never heard what had happened to Barney.

And now, he stood two stories down, as if he had been there the entire time.

"Gordon, Alyx, it's great to see you're okay. I've been concerned about your safety, and I'm glad to see familiar faces."

Barney looked up at them, hoping it was real. Hoping that he hadn't come nearly 300 miles for nothing.

Truth is, Turma needed help.

But so did Gordon and Alyx.

Barney had bitten off more than he could chew. His troop of 245 quickly dwindled down to 56 in a month. Added to Gordon and Alyx's 67, they could probably put up a good fight.

This wasn't the only reason Barney was here. Every so often, it's good to reconnect to old friends.

Gordon looked down at Barney. "Barney, I'm glad to see you alive too. We heard of your resistance troubles. We're here to help, and you know that. We're coming down."

Everyone assembled on the first floor of the research complex. They all had to band together and come up with a strategy, and they had to do it fast. Otherwise, the advisors could come back, or the Borealis could be found. Who knew how close the Combine were to finding it.

They all decided to band together the fleet of 13 helicopters on the base to search out the Borealis... Whatever was on the ship, they had to find it. Whether they destroyed it or not was up in the air, but everyone knew they had to find it.

Gordon and Barney planned everything they could out. "We can't be certain about ANY of this," Barney said. "All we know is that we have to find Dr. Mossman. Her last known location was about 560 miles northeast of White Forest. How can we find her? She's a needle in a frozen haystack!!"

The two guys and the rest of the troops made their way to the helicopters. Everyone pitched in to load them with supplies, food, water, and ammo. So far, they planned on retrieving Barney's troops and flying north to search for Mossman.

Alyx remained grief stricken over her father's death. Her thoughts went back and forth between anger and sadness, but she somehow felt a deep sense of belonging, of need, of hope, in finding what was on the Borealis. Joining the others, she stayed by Gordon's side, boarding his helicopter and taking the seat beside him. Barney's copter lifted off, followed by all the rest of them.

"One more time, Alyx? Can you do it?" Gordon said, peering into her glazed, puffy eyes.

"One more time, Gordon."


	3. The Lighthouse and The Sunset

3.

Constant whurring of helicopter blades filled everyone's ears as the group set their coordinates to a little remote village known as Lighthouse Point. Gordon recognized the place immediately. When he came through here on his way to Nova Prospekt the place was swarming with Combine, advisors, and gunships. He remembered troops fighting bravely against them, only to meet demise, save about four of them. The lighthouse was their only salvation; now it lay half beaten, half destroyed in a pile of bricks and cinders.

The helicopters landed in stride, one after the other in the shadow of a tall mountain. Radar detection devices were equipped, and stealth technology that Dr. Kleiner brought along proved useful in hiding the fleet. Everyone unloaded the convoy into a couple of small houses nearby. There, Barney's resistance troops met up with Gordon and Alyx's and they shared plans and ideas.

"Gordon, I would like you to meet my next in line, and best officer, Mr. Griffith Anderson. Reminds me a lot of you, he does. Except I don't owe _him _ a beer."

Griffith stepped forward slowly. He was a tall man, with stubble growing on his face. Scars lined his arms where armor was not; everyone could tell he had been through rough times. Griffith shook Gordon, Dr. Kleiner, and Alyx's hands and saluted to the rest of the group.

His voice was deep and raspy, and it carried through the whole house when he said, "It's a pleasure to meet you all. I have heard of you, Mr. Freeman, for quite some time. You're the free man's leader and the captured man's hero. It's because of you that most of us are alive. If it weren't for you, I could have given up a long time ago. I saw my troops slaughtered. Beaten. Killed. What kept me going was the news that someone from the inside had gotten outside, and that the someone that had escaped was starting a movement. I figured I could help in any way, Mr. Freeman... And Ms. Vance, I am dreadfully sorry about your father. I worked with him a few times. He will be missed... but not forgotten." Alyx's hands came forth in a show of gratitude, and Gordon's actions said that he knew this man meant every word he said.

Barney interrupted the silence. "We were just north of the Antlion fields, when I heard that the superportal was about to be destroyed. I told what was left of my troops to come here while I traveled all the way to see you. We needed help, Gordon. We needed it badly. But none of us have ever seen quite a show like that superportal. What you guys did was magical. Great job!" He then turned around to face his troops and briefed them briefly. "Our new objective here is to find a Dr. Judith Mossman. She knows what we _wish _we knew. It's crucial that we find her, but we have to find her _alive._ All we know is that she's about 560 miles northeast of White Forest. Our main goal is to find the Borealis and figure out what is on it and what to do with it. We need to ALL band together, guys. I know I haven't been the best leader. But Gordon is a hell of a lot better than I am. I would trust him with anything. Right, Gordon?"

"Yeah, Barney, except for that beer."

After a good night's rest, the team awoke to a bright sunrise over the ocean; something they hadn't seen in years.

Alyx was outside resting on a rock when Gordon woke up. He stepped outside with her.

"Gordon, have you ever seen something this beautiful? Have you ever been taken by something like this?"

"Alyx, I must say... I've seen many a sunrise, but not one quite like this. After the portal was destroyed, something must have happened. It MUST have. I haven't seen clouds in quite some time. I'm so glad it was a success. Eli would be proud, Alyx."

Alyx rested her head on Gordon's shoulder. How could she cope with everything at once? Battles, lives, her father, the labs, the mission... Gordon... Without Gordon she would be near to hopeless. He had helped her through so much...

"Hey, you two! Come give us a hand!" yelled Barney from across the path. The troops were starting to load everything and everyone into the helicopters. "We need to go!"

"Barney's right, Alyx. We can still see the sunrise from the sky. Lets go before we fall behind."

With the troops all loaded and the supplies on board, the air filled with the sound of thirteen helicopters once again. Gordon could still feel some presence in the area, though. He couldn't put his finger on it, but he knew it was still here. Could there be more Combine? Is there a traitor? Was there something left behind?

Gordon looked back on that lighthouse one more time. "See ya, buddy," it seemed to say. "Have a nice fight."


	4. Saving A Pal

4.

Gordon was right. The sunrise was just as good, if not better from the air. Alyx, Gordon, and Dr. Kleiner were all on the same helicopter, admiring the view.

"Well I haven't seen something this magnificent in ages. Thank goodness we can enjoy these things again!" Dr. Kleiner said with a smile.

"Don't get too used to it, Doc," replied Alyx, "we have a huge task on our hands. Who knows what we'll run into. Who knows what dangers we will face. Look what happened to dad!"

"Alyx.. you can't let that bother you... Think of all the other people they have killed! Think of all the families torn apart by this. There are children that will never see their parents again! Just be thankful that Gordon and Eli helped you and saved you, so that we all can help everyone else!"

This was the most energetic conversation Dr. Kleiner had taken part in since Eli's death. It obviously bothered him just as much as it did Alyx; Dr. Kleiner however knew and realized that he had to ignore it to get past the pain. This was something Alyx always had trouble with. When to let go... When to hold on... When to keep pushing until the end is close...

Gordon noticed a blip on the radar and called Barney on the radio. "Is this it, Barney? We're coming up on the place right now, aren't we?"

"Yeah, Gordon. This is it. We'll land right on the south side of that large building."

Turma Group had gotten some information about 2 weeks ago concerning a small makeshift lab in New Little Odessa. Their sources said that some people with inside information and some vortigaunts had set up a way to communicate with other labs across the area. The vortigaunts claimed that they had also received some coordinates concerning Dr. Mossman's location. Whether this was true or not was yet to be seen.

Barney slowly dropped his helicopter beside the building and everyone else followed suit. The vortigaunts were waiting for the team outside the door.

From outside Gordon could hear the unsuccessful attempts to contact other surviving clans of hopefuls. Gordon and Barney walked in slowly and told the other troops to relax for a while, but stay alert; he just couldn't escape that feeling that something was wrong.

"Gordon, this is our lead research technician on the Turma team, Dr. Conrad Wallace," said Barney, leading Gordon to the communications array. "He has trained many vortigaunts, and knows ins and outs of these nearby locations. He was an undercover technician at the Citadel. Luckily, he escaped detection when everyone was fleeing. I convinced him to work with us." Wallace extended a hand to Gordon. After their briefing, Wallace told Gordon, Alyx, and Barney everything he and the vortigaunts knew about the Borealis and Mossman's location. "Our transmission was directly from her. She wanted desperately to talk to Eli... But she was too late. She demanded I get in contact with Gordon here and tell him what she knew. Our transmission was cut three-quarters of the way through reception. All she told me was some numbers... coordinates no doubt. Put these into your location system."

Wallace handed Gordon the note with the coordinates on it. Alyx entered the numbers in, and the map zoomed in to an isolated island off the northern coast, close to the polar regions.

"But that island is so small.. What could be there?" Alyx wondered aloud to the group.

"We'll have to go there and see. We can't afford not to. Something must be there..." Gordon responded.

Suddenly, Griffith Anderson burst through the door with a halt. His deep voice reverberated alarm. Gordon started. He knew something was wrong immediately. He and Barney rushed outside, leaving Alyx and Dr. Wallace inside. "Arm anything you can, Alyx. Someone is coming!" Gordon yelled behind him.

Alyx hid Wallace in the basement and equipped all weapons she had. Her hair stood on her back and arms as she felt the vibrations of a Combine ship nearby. Her mind raced among many things... help, the doctor, time... Gordon..."GORDON! Watch above!" she yelled at her companions as the ship crash landed just a few yards from the helicopters and troops standing ready. Everyone took any cover they could find and prepared for what was to come.

Combine filed out of the ship as Gordon and Barney dove behind some barrels. Gordon's shotgun was drawn and aimed as he fired shots at three approaching soldiers. Barney ran along the wall of the communication house hoping to provide Griffith support against the twenty remaining Combine. Barney could almost sense the anxiety in the air... he knew these moments were the ones his troops had been dreading. Barney had hoped the forces had disbanded after the portal was shut down, or maybe that they had just given up. It seemed to him that they were just as hard on the resistance as they had ever been, just pushing hard no matter what the loss.

"Barney!" Griffith yelled across the courtyard. There's more your way!"

To Barney's horror, another ship had landed to his right... with Combine fighting Anderson to his left, Gordon fighting them to his rear, and more coming to his right, he was nearly surrounded. He made his way quickly to the nearby shed, punched out a window, and shot all he could. There was no way he could make it through this many. "How many of these things are there?" he screamed aloud as 10 approached him from his front and right. He shot away, hitting three in the head, two in the abdomen, and one in the groin. He made to shoot again.

Click.

Click click.

Nothing. He was unarmed, and four enemy soldiers were swarming his front. He put his back to the wall, ready to make a dastardly run for the opposite shed, where Anderson and his group were holding up. Just as he was ready to run, Gordon and five other soldiers burst from behind Barney's shed, flanked the Combine, and picked them off one by one.

Anderson yelled from the opposite side that he and the rest of the group had killed a total of 33 Combine. Gordon had destroyed both ships and his group and Alyx had killed 12. Barney had nailed 8, two plus the six at his shed.

All of the troops met again in the communications house where Dr. Wallace was hidden. As a man used to conflict, trial, and fighting, he shook it all off like nothing happened.

Barney walked over to meet Gordon halfway. "Gordon, I owe you one."

Gordon laughed. "Forget it, Barney. Just get me that beer."


	5. The Citadel

5.

"This was just a burst attack from the Combine. Surely they aren't doing this everywhere, are they?" Griffith's voice carried a long way; Gordon and Alyx could hear everything going on in the communications house from outside.

"That was a close one, Gordon," Alyx said. She was obviously still shaken by the surprise.

"We just weren't prepared for anything like that. We're lucky no one was killed. Coming away with just one injury is not bad. The vortigaunts can heal those ricochets like they were nothing. Barney's lucky I was behind him, though, or we might have lost him in the struggle." Gordon looked up at Alyx. "Thanks for keeping Wallace and the vortigaunts in check. We need to keep them safe."

"No problem, Gordon. I didn't think I was ready for action anyway."

Gordon went back inside with everyone else. He hoped that Alyx would be ready next time. When you're in a fight with large numbers of Combine like that, you can't afford to not be ready. If it weren't for the communications house, Alyx might have done something stupid. Stupid on a battlefield will get you hurt... or worse.

"I would like to commend everyone. This was a great test of our capabilities. We fought off over fifty Combine without a single loss. Next time, we need to be ready. If it weren't for Anderson, here, we might have gotten surprised," Gordon spoke proudly of the people in the resistance. "Our next obstacle is a small town Combine base north of us. Problem is, we have to attack from the ground. Recon shows they're super equipped with weapons that can down aircraft in seconds. Luckily, there aren't many Combine themselves, but unluckily, they have striders."

Striders were something Gordon was familiar with. He wasn't sure how many others had taken striders, but he had, and he could do it again. "How many of you have taken down striders before?" In the back, four hands shot up. Gordon recognized them as the ones that fought beside him in White Forest. "You, come with me, and we'll head on up and get rid of the striders. They're surveying the exterior of the base. Half of everyone else go with Alyx and Barney. You guys will pick off the Combine soldiers one by one. Everyone staying behind needs to defend against anything crazy that happens. Anderson, I depend on you to stay here and watch things. Keep the vortigaunts and Dr. Wallace protected. We need everyone alive."

With that, half of the group left the house and headed up the long dirt road to the next town. Gordon and the other strider killers ran on ahead. Almost as soon as they had disappeared from everyone's view, Alyx's group heard explosions and blasts from about a half-mile ahead. "We're going around the side! Come one!" yelled Alyx. She and Barney decided to flank the entire camp and do everything they could to disable the Combine. Soon enough, they all came up on some small buildings and large metal defenses. No doubt this was it.

"Everyone get down. Spread out along the sides. By this time, their attention will be diverted to the striders. If we can sneak in, we'll be good to go. Arms up! We're going in!" and with that, Barney ran inside, followed by Alyx and roughly fifty five other troops. Sure enough, they spread out and managed to get through the barricades without Combine detection. Like Barney had said, their attention was diverted to the front side, where Gordon and the striders were. Alyx's group charged forward, providing fire from the Combine's rear. Barney fired from the right.

The forces were picked off one by one. This time the resistance had gotten the surprise; the upper hand. All of the Combine were in one spot. Gordon and his small cavalry were beginning to provide forward fire. With the striders done, the Combine surrounded, and their guard down, they didn't even fight back. The resistance took care of them, again without any casualties.

Everyone gathered what supplies they could from the enemy base and started back. For a successful mission, the troops were surprisingly quiet. Gordon wondered why so.... But then again, even he got tired of fighting every now and then.

Once they were all back at the base, they loaded the helicopters with all the supplies they could and prepared to lift off. Gordon decided it would be a good idea to take a couple of vortigaunts with them for medicinal purposes, and Dr. Wallace came along as well, mainly to keep Dr. Kleiner quiet. The rest of the vortigaunts decided to stay, and so did a few troops, so they could defend communications and keep in touch with the resistance. After short farewells, the helicopters all lifted up once more into the air.

"Where are we going, Gordon?" asked Alyx.

"We're going as far north as we can. With the Combine taken care of here, everything will be okay until we can get to where Mossman is. There's something on that island. We need it." replied Gordon.

Gordon looked out the windshield of the helicopter to see the remains of the Citadel. He knew what it was. There was no mistaking it. His mind dashed from thought to thought about when he had to go in that Godforsaken place. He remembered when Dog tossed he and Alyx across the gap into the core of the Citadel. He swore he'd never go back in.

Alyx fought bravely today, he thought. Maybe she's finally back to speed. "You okay?" he said as he turned to face her.

"Yeah," said Alyx. "I was just thinking about the Citadel. And Dog. I hope he is okay. I told him to clean up the lab, where dad was. I told him I didn't want him hurt. He stayed behind for me..."

There was a pause.

"Gordon... we've really been through so much. You've gotten my back so many times. I don't know where I would be if I lost you."

Gordon looked up at her. "We all have our strengths, Alyx. Mine happen to be liberation, salvation, and saving you."

Alyx laughed and leaned over on him.

From the helicopters, they could see the sunset on the opposite side. Gordon couldn't help but think about the ash filled skies of City 17 and the words Dr. Breen had said so many times.

"Welcome to City 17. It's safer here."


	6. What Lied Beyond

6.

Ice is cold. They all knew that. But they had no idea how cold it could really be.

"Gordon, the readings say it's fifteen below here! We're gonna be Combine popsicles if we don't hurry up!" Barney yelled through the radio.

The helicopters had made it as far north as they could go. Ice was an inch thick on every blade. The technicians said that if they attempted to fly any further, it could be disastrous; therefore Turma and the rest of the team decided to stop just a few miles short of the target at a major resistance hold up. Dr. Wallace said this place was where he was stationed for a while, and that they kept snow and ice vehicles handy.

He also didn't have a great reputation at the lab.

Years ago, when the Combine first came to power and Dr. Breen branched off into his own little experiment world, Dr. Wallace started experimenting on his own, much to the dislike of everyone else in the lab. It's rumored he created some violent things, and that people were afraid he would be like Breen, or that he would help Breen out. He didn't, thankfully. Everyone in the world should be glad, too. Eventually, everyone realized he had made these things so that other people couldn't. He knew that by making them, he could prevent it falling into the wrong hands, so to speak. Afterward, his prototypes and models were destroyed by other people in the lab who thought he was fake, and everything returned to normal.

Nevertheless, everyone at the lab was happy to see Wallace return, and they were even more gleeful when Gordon Freeman and Alyx Vance walked through the doors.

The place was full of so many people once Gordon's resistance movement was inside. The head personnel at the base gladly allowed them all the use of anything they might need to do anything for the resistance. They even offered Gordon refuge for the troops he didn't need at the moment.

Barney, Griffith, Alyx, and doctors Wallace and Kleiner met in a war room of sorts to talk things out. Gordon's main thought was about what could be on that island. It could be Mossman herself, the Borealis, what was ON the Borealis, or even something different... but yet important to what they were doing.

"Another portal. That's what it could be. Breen did say he wanted to go somewhere when Freeman got there," Kleiner pointed out. "With the electromagnetic field stronger up here, it would make an ideal place for particle transportation."

"If that's so, Dr. Kleiner, then we could be in for a mess. Everywhere there's a portal, there's a big building. And everywhere there's a big building with a portal, there's Combine," Barney deduced.

"It's a thought," Gordon said. "We can't rule anything out. Wallace? What technologies could be there? Could we use it if there was anything?"

Wallace sat dumbfounded. There was nothing that he knew of that would be curious enough to be stored on its own island. "I concur with Kleiner. We might be facing a portal. If we are, then Kleiner and I will have to stay behind, here, while you and the group of soldiers tackle the forces there."

This was not a bad idea. Having the doctors safe behind would allow for a cinch of an overtaking. If there indeed was a portal on this island, Alyx could just electronically signature a map over to the lab, and Kleiner could walk them through the place. With a large enough group like Gordon had, Taking over a building the size of the Citadel would take a third of the time that it took he and Alyx.

At the conclusion of the meeting and all greetings, all the fighters settled down for a night's rest before heading out to brave the cold. With warm food in their stomachs, this night of sleep would be the best they had gotten in a long time.

"Gordon, want to be roomies?"

A cheerful Barney peered around the corner of the underground shelter's slumber room. "I'm pretty excited about what we'll find tomorrow. What do you think it'll be, man? I'll bet it's an automatic cake baker. Or a waffle maker. Either one." Gordon laughed at this statement. "Either way, Barney, we'll have some dinner."

Meanwhile, in the next room, Alyx was resting on her cot. She was thinking of things in the past and things meaningful to her, all in the same time. Her father and Gordon were nearly always on her mind... they were the two things she cared about the most. Of course she cared about the resistance, but her heart and mind always wondered to smaller things... things that held her dearly. She wanted to talk to Gordon. She just wanted to tell him how she truly felt; that if something happened to him, she would be lost... that if he left her to do any of this by herself, she would not be able to do it. There was something about him that kept her going. Eli had always said how perfect he was for her, and now she was starting to believe it.

Alyx finally managed to get up and walk to Gordon's room. From inside, Gordon and Barney heard a soft knock at the door. Gordon instantly knew who it was. He got up to meet her at the door as she opened it. "Gordon? Can I talk to you? I just..." Her voice drifted as Gordon followed her out of the room. Gordon heard Barney mumble something behind him, but he didn't mind. It bothered him none.

Alyx and Gordon sat down on her cot.

Gordon had been thinking too. There were times when Barney would talk to him, and he wouldn't respond, because his mind was on Alyx. He couldn't leave her alone; he always wanted to have her in his sight... he just couldn't let anything happen to her under his watch.

"Gordon, I need to talk to you. There's something I need to tell you... I can't wait any longer..."

Gordon knew what Alyx was talking about. He had felt it too. He was glad Alyx decided to say something... he didn't know if he could. Not now.

"I want you to know, Alyx, that I feel like you do. There are times when I just can't get a grip on things. Times when all I think about is the future, and sometimes what you and I have been through. We've done a lot, Alyx. You've been there for me a long time. Will you be with me a bit longer?"

Alyx broke down and buried her head in his shoulder. He held her until she stopped to look at him, and with a smile she said, "Gordon, I could be beside of you forever. We're a team, Gordon."

"That's not what I mean, Alyx." Gordon lifted up her chin to look at her. "I mean... I think that what Eli said about us is true... that we are what we need in each other. Will you complete me? As both a fighter and a person?"

They both hugged each other for quite a while. Alyx knew that Gordon was what she needed to get through everything. She was overwhelmed that this moment had finally come.

After some time had passed, Barney yelled from across the hall. "Goodnight you two... I knew this would happen." He was late, however, as the two had already collapsed from exhaustion and lied comfortably in the same bed.


	7. The Tower

7.

The next morning, Gordon awoke with a start. Something was wrong; he could just feel it. Alyx was still asleep beside him. "Alyx. Wake up. Something is wrong, Alyx. Come with me. Grab your gun."

Alyx rolled over and woke up to see him. "Gordon? What... what is it?"

They picked up their guns and Gordon stood up while Alyx stretched a little. Gordon put his ear to the door... From inside, he could hear an awful noise. It was deafening in volume, and it seemed close by. Gordon wondered if Barney was awake or not. He peered across the hall into the window on Barney's door. He was up already, but Gordon could tell that Barney, too, had suspicions. Griffith was standing beside Barney and he motioned Gordon and Alyx across the hall. The duo cautiously crossed the hall to meet Barney and Griffith on the other side.

They decided to awaken everyone they could to come with them. Gordon led the quartet around the corner to the other slumber rooms. Each split up and woke everyone up in all of the rooms. With their following behind them, Gordon, Alyx, Barney, and Griffith turned around and went back into the main room. The sealed and locked double metal doors leading out of the lab were still sealed, and the quartet led everyone outside.

".....Dear God, Gordon."

What Barney and everyone else saw happened to be the largest portal Dr. Breen and his army ever made. It was twice the size of the Citadel and appeared to be about 10 miles away. It shone bright through the break of dawn light; there was no mistaking what it was.

"Gordon, let me show Dr. Kleiner," Alex said. She pulled out a small screen and attached it to her hacking tool. She clicked some buttons and a drowsy Dr. Kleiner appeared on the screen.

"Goodness, Alyx. This had better be good. Why did you-- oh.. oh goodness," Dr. Kleiner said as the image hit him head on. "This is the biggest portal I have ever seen. It looks stable, though. Are you guys going inside? Alyx, this is absurd... there's no way you guys could go inside that thing and do something!"

"But Dr. Kleiner, what do you think this was for?" Alyx asked.

"Alyx, the Borealis. Dr. Breen was searching for it. That's why that portal is here. Good gracious, you guys, there could be anything there. There's no telling what you will run into if you try to get inside. Their defenses will be so strong... I highly advise staying out of there... but if you must... send me a map and I will chart it for you. Be careful, everyone. We don't need any casualties."

Everyone knew what they were going to do. Gordon turned around to face all of the people standing behind him. "What we have to do is split up. I know this sounds ridiculous, but if we split into four groups, we can explore the tower much faster than if we did it as one group."

"But Gordon...!"

Alyx didn't want to split up. Alyx wanted to stay with Gordon, right by his side. She had gone into the Citadel so many times, but every time, Gordon was right there with her.

"Alyx, this is the only way. We have to stop this. We have to stop it NOW!"

Gordon turned again to the group behind him. "Okay, split into four groups of near equal number. There should be about thirty in each group. Barney, Griffith, Alyx and I will each take one. We need to move into the tower and shut it down. Alyx, can you get us a map and a hacker tool?"

Without saying a word, Alyx grabbed three more tools and handed them to each group leader. When the groups had split, the four moved forward into the snow and ice ahead.

Alyx was devastated. She couldn't let anything happen to Gordon... not now, not ever. Without him beside of her, she would be lost... without any guidance. How could she go on through the tower when she was constantly worried about him?

She and the other leaders trudged through the cold. It was bitter and rough, but they all knew what they had to do. They had to get inside.

After quite a walk, the troops and leaders finally arrived at the base of the tower. They remained some distance away to avoid detection, all the while trying to decide how to get in the place. Griffith observed the doors and noticed a quaint quirk about the building. "Look at the loading ship port up there! It opens every now and then... could we get inside?"

"Great idea, Griffith. The only requirement is a Combine retinal scan... Where's a bad guy when we need one?" Gordon replied.

Soon, they saw their answer. One Combine had come outside for observation duty. They couldn't have asked for it to be any better. Barney swore he'd be able to handle it. "Lemme do it, G. I can get that scan in no time."

Barney took off after the soldier. While he was turned around, Barney snuck behind him and held him alive just long enough to drag him over to the scanner. With the scan complete and easy, the bay door opened and stayed open. They had little time before the opening alerted more combine. All of the troops got up and ran quickly to the entrance. When inside, they quickly realized how big the place was. There was a clear ceiling above them and even from the bottom floor, they could see the portal itself shining brightly above them.

A computer interface was also close by. This was Alyx's chance inside the system. "Hold on, guys, I'm getting us all a map." In seconds, Alyx had hacked the system, opened the door in front of them, and downloaded a map into the other three hacker tools.

Gordon faced the troops and gave his directions. "Okay everyone. It shows four doors a floor above us, and three access points to the portal, but only two access points to the core. We need to worry about the portal first. Barney, you and Griffith take the two doors to the right, and Alyx and I will take the two to the left. Report ANY casualties after every struggle, keep track of ALL of your troops and keep in touch. Also report any findings to all of us, and watch your map for direction. If help or teamwork is needed, radio any of us and we will take care of you. We have to take care of our teammates, but remember that your first priority is yourself and your group. Understand? Try to work your way to the portal. We'll meet up there."

"Take care of yourself, Gordon. I want to give you that drink I owe you," Barney told Gordon as he turned to leave. Griffith walked off to the right following Barney, and Gordon and Alyx continued to the left.

Soon, they came to the second floor and the two left doors that were waiting to be opened. "Alyx... be careful. I can't let anything happen to you. Stay safe, and make wise decisions."

Gordon looked down at her. She came closer to him and warmed him in a close embrace for a short while. Alyx looked at Gordon and made him swear he would be okay; he then leaned down to kiss her.

That moment filled them both with more feelings than they had ever felt before. They both knew what they were up against, and they both knew what they had to do... but at that moment, neither of them cared. It didn't matter that their lives were at stake... all that mattered was that after all these years of captivity, of hope, of losses and of successes, they were happy, if only for a second. They could finally say that something good had come of the entire situation; of all the labs, the jobs, the killings, the crimes, the enemies... Nothing could stop them now.


	8. Infiltration

8.

Barney's group was the first to hit trouble. Shortly after heading through their door, the troops were bombarded with Combine guards and Stalkers. Some of his troops even became surrounded at one point, but were rescued thanks to Barney's fancy footwork. They had already reached the fourth floor with just one distraction, and were making decent time. "Just twelve more floors to go, everyone. Great job! Push forward!" Barney said as they exited a data chamber.

Gordon's group was the next unit to encounter some conflict. As Gordon made his way to the fourth floor, he caught the attention of a Stalker, which caused the Stalker to close off the large room they were in and drop some rollerbombs from a large compartment overhead. To their disadvantage, they had no gravity guns, and Gordon was the only one with a hacker tool to change the rollerbombs' settings. Their only choice was to destroy the bridge behind them that the rollerbombs were on, in hopes of discouraging future attacks. It was a temporary fix to a large problem, but no one had been injured, and that was Gordon's main concern. After checking everyone and his surroundings, Gordon cautiously made his way to the fifth floor. He was concerned, however, that he hadn't encountered any Combine yet. He assumed everyone else had, and that made him terribly uneasy.

Griffith Anderson caught the worst of the Combine presence. Shortly after his cavalry hit the fourth floor, a Combine soldier heard them and alerted his comrades. They ended up facing thirty two Combine soldiers in a matter of minutes. Sadly, four of his men died in the struggle. He radioed Gordon with the bad news. "Gordon! Mr. Freeman! Oh no... not more!" was all he managed to get out before more soldiers showed up. Gordon decided to send more of his troops to assist Griffith, and assist they did. The skirmish was wrapped up in a few more minutes with only one more casualty. "Gordon, we've lost five men over here. I'm going to keep yours with me. I'm headed to the fifth floor. We shouldn't run into any more Combine on this end. Watch out your way!" Griffith's voice echoed through the metal walls of the tower. "Okay, Griffith. Keep an eye out, and watch your back. We need every person we can keep."

No matter what Gordon ran into, he couldn't help but think of what Alyx was experiencing. He hadn't heard from her yet, but no news is not always good news. He worried about her so much, and was afraid of what she would go through. "No Gordon, she's an experienced woman. She can handle it," he kept telling himself. No sooner than he had said it again, she called over on the radio. "Gordon, there's something you need to see over here."

Gordon and his following made their way out of the large room they were in. They found a service hallway that cut across to Alyx's area and made another turn through a room and a large door into the place where Alyx was.

None of them could believe their eyes. Surrounding them enclosed in glass cases were hundreds upon hundreds of advisors. There were enough to take out a large city if need be, and they were all right there in front of the resistors. The entire room was a tint of blue from the light the portal was emitting, and the illumination allowed them to see as deep as the room was, and everywhere there was room, there was an advisor.

"How long did it take them, you think?" Alyx asked.

There was no answer. Gordon was too busy thinking about the consequences of destroying the tower. "Do you realize that if we destroy this tower and portal, those advisors will be let free?"

It was true. Gordon and the rest of the movement had to find a way to destroy every advisor before they could do anything to the portal or the tower. "Let me talk to Kleiner and Wallace. They may have a solution," Alyx said, facing Gordon. "There MUST be a way."

"Alright. You stay here with half of your group. The other half come with me," Gordon directed. "Keep her safe. Nothing touches her. And Alyx, work with the doctors. Find out anything you can, and go through any means possible to stop them before we stop the portal. Keep me updated."

Alyx conceded a nod and whipped out her hacker tool. The troops split up, and Gordon left her and a handful of protection standing there in that room. "Seal yourselves in until something can be done, Alyx. Stay smart," he yelled as he turned to see her again. "Come on, guys. We have to find the others."

While Alyx was working diligently on a fix for the Advisors, Gordon made his way to the seventh floor. There, he crossed paths with Barney and Griffith. Gordon informed them of what he had seen.

"Come on. ANY more surprises? ANY? Really?" Barney asked.

"So far, this is as bad as it gets. We need to do something about them, which Alyx is working on that as we speak. Dr. Kleiner and Dr. Wallace are trying everything they can," Gordon assured them. "Shall we move on?"

The trio and their set of troops kept moving up the hallways. There were so many Stalkers in all of the rooms that they had to be as discreet as possible in advancing from area to area. Finding an easier, more quiet way up to the top of the tower was a great idea. Turning around a corner, Gordon discovered a small maintenance pathway and corridor that reached an open area where ships were made and launched. This was their shortcut to the upper areas; a tight ledge wrapped around the building and graded upwards slightly to a ladder leading up two floors. If they wanted to sneak in unnoticed, this was their chance. The ledge, barely two feet wide off the wall, was only wide enough for single file movement. One wrong move, and you could make the last footstep of your life, for the plunge down below was at least seven stories. Barney, Griffith, and Gordon went first, leading the way around tight turns and ledges. After half of the men had made it to the ladder, they were surprised to hear gunfire coming from behind them. To Gordon's horror, a small fleet of Combine soldiers was chasing after them around the ledge. "Oh no, not now!!" Barney yelled as he held the ladder with one hand and shot behind him with the other. It was immensely hard for the troops on the ledge to fight back; they couldn't shoot without hitting the man behind him. Gordon watched as three, maybe four of his men were shot as they fell to the abyss below. He just kept shooting. As the second to last Combine soldier was shot, Gordon heard a yell, a metal sound, and saw Barney's grip on the ladder fail as he drifted below. "Barney! Someone catch him!" Gordon yelled down below him to the others. As he yelled, Griffith Anderson leaped from the ladder, grabbed Barney, and managed to grab onto the ledge below. Men scrambled around trying to reach the two who were dangerously dangling by only four fingertips.

Gordon was helpless. There was nothing he could do to assist them. He raced down the ladder and commanded the troops who were not shooting the Combine to reach Griffith at any cost. Barney, who was holding on to Griffith's other hand, managed to inch his way up to Griffith's shoulders and reached up to grab the ledge. Now the two men were left nearly helpless above a deathly depth. Now that Gordon was down on the ground, he reached one arm to Griffith while holding onto the ladder with the other. Five others reached down to grab Griffith and Barney and pull them up. Just as soon as they were back on solid ground, however, a noise from above got their attention.

The Combine's trash dump was about to open.

Everyone raced to the ladder as fast as they could go. They did not want to be left below to be pelted by falling debris. Most of the men made it up safely, but tragically, three more soldiers were knocked off of the ladder into the deep hole when they were hit by wasted metal.

Now with six, maybe seven less troops, and adrenaline in everyone's veins, they pushed onward. Only one more floor to go. As they prepared to ride the elevator up to the portal floor, Alyx rang in on the radio.

"Gordon! We found a way! We can do it!"

"You can destroy the advisors?"

"Yes! Dr. Kleiner made a virus to upload into the advisors' mainframes! If the virus is put into their minds, they won't be able to move; they'll explode!"

"Alyx, that's wonderful... only problem is that if they explode... something that size could take out the whole building!" Gordon spoke aloud across the radio.

"Right! So when you guys go up there and disable the portal, I'll upload it and start a timer! Then we can get out in time to see the show!"

Gordon had to admit, it was a great plan. "That sounds amazing! We're outside of the portal room now. Be careful, Alyx. We're going in."

Gordon closed out the conversation and gathered everyone around in preparation for entering the portal room. He hacked the door open and walked through. The portal was just around the corner, but to his surprise, there were no Combine at all. No defenses, no anything! Suspecting a trap, they all entered softly and quietly as possible.

"What do you think, Gordon?" Barney asked.

"I don't know, Barney... lets see the portal."

As they rounded the corner to face the portal, a voice echoed through the room... a voice that froze everyone in their tracks.

"Hello, Dr. Freeman. I see you found me once again."


	9. Elimination

9.

"Dr. Breen!" yelled Gordon, as the largest advisor he had ever seen cast a shadow upon them that loomed across the entire room. When Breen was leaving the Citadel before Gordon had a chance to get rid of him, Breen tried to find another body to encase himself in. Apparently, this advisor was specially made for Breen, with new weapons, mind tricks, and not to mention a bigger body frame.

"I knew you would come, Dr. Freeman. I knew that Mossman would lead you here. I knew you would come after her."

"She betrayed us!" Barney yelled at the advisor. "I knew something was wrong with that woman from the get go! I can't believe--"

"Oh no, no no, you don't understand... Mossman is on your side. It's just that she's inside, now!"

Breen's menacing form made its way over to the side of the room where a large metal door opened and a captivity chamber came forth with a subdued Judith Mossman inside. "You see, Dr. Freeman, Mossman was giving away too much information to the resistance. So I had her captured. Evasive little booger, she was. But I have her now, and if you try and stop me, you'll have grave consequences."

Griffith stepped forward. "Mossman gave us the coordinates for this spot... She knew you existed, and that this portal was still active. She never betrayed us at all; she was trying to stop you, Breen!"

"Exactly, guys. You're pretty smart. But are you smart enough to do something now?" The advisor moved forward. All of the troops drew their guns and started firing on the monstrosity in front of them. In a move so fast, so quick, so evasive, the advisor stopped all of the bullets in their path before they could hit it, and with one unified metal sound, all of the bullets fell to the ground in one movement, and rolled there for a few seconds. "Silly bullets won't beat me! I figured you guys would know better! Oh well... prepare to die, Freeman!"

The advisor moved forward and Gordon felt the sensations he did when Eli was killed. His mind went blank, he could barely see, and his body felt as heavy as lead. He managed to see Barney and Griffith, and they were being held, too. How could he get all three of them at once? Was this the end of it? Alyx... Gordon thought... I can't leave her... I have to stay, for her, to save her, to make sure she is taken care of, I can't die now.

To Gordon's surprise, everything around him stopped. Time was frozen. He could move, but Barney and Griffith could not. There was no color, there was no movement. Breen didn't move, the troops couldn't move, only he could move. He wriggled out of the advisor's grip and his mind was exceptionally clear. He could walk around and everything; he examined the portal, Dr. Breen's host body, and Barney and Griffith. He even tried to free them, to no prevail.

Suddenly, he felt this presence behind him, almost as if someone had been watching him. "Hello, Mr. Freeman. I see this is how you use your skills these days," an ominous voice spoke from behind him. Gordon recognized this voice... it was the same voice he heard after the portal exploded, the same one he heard on that train... The body that accompanied the voice appeared before him. He was such a tall, linky man wearing a dark, deep gray suit and tie. His briefcase was thin and light, it seemed, and he walked forward to meet Gordon slowly.

"I constantly have to help you along, Mr. Freeman. But I must say that you're pushing my means to their limits. I have the thing you need right here, Mr. Freeman. I'm glad you made the decision you made that day. If you hadn't, you would be in a mountain of trouble. Here is what you desire, Mr. Freeman. Make sure you use it to reach your goal. We're counting on you."

From his suit jacket, the man pulled out a Gravity Gun and handed it to Gordon. "It's in its prime condition, Mr. Freeman. Use it well. And save her, if you can; we all need her."

He was talking about Alyx... She was vital to the destruction of this tower and the portal... Was that what they needed her for? Gordon didn't want anyone to do anything to her; her involvement was zero as far as Gordon was concerned. He didn't even fully understand what this guy wanted with him, or anyone else in the resistance for that matter. But the man had bestowed a Gravity Gun onto Gordon, and he knew he had to use it to beat Breen for the last time.

"Good luck, Mr. Freeman. Prove us right," the man said as he turned and went back to wherever he came from. As soon as the clarity had come, it disappeared; the color was back, everyone was in panic, and the room was chaotic as Breen, the advisor, had a hold on Barney and Griffith. Gordon turned to face a nearby computer interface, used his gravity gun to rip it from its sockets, and threw it full speed at Breen. The electric charge shocked the advisor into letting Barney and Griffith go. "Griffith! Take the troops and go find Alyx! Tell her what has happened, and tell her thirty minutes. Thirty minutes! You hear me?" Gordon yelled at Griffith as he and the troops ran to the door and rushed outside to make their way to Alyx's floor."

Gordon and Barney turned back around to the advisor. He was still shaken by the electric shock he had gotten. Nonetheless, he was back up and running and ready to take Gordon and Barney down. Barney ran to the side and distracted him while Gordon got close and shocked him again with the Gravity Gun. The advisor was getting closer and closer to the portal, and they couldn't afford to let him go through that thing, at least without setting new coordinates first... That was it! Gordon motioned to Barney to come closer while the advisor was still shaken up. "Barney, here's what you need to do. Search in the computer database with that hacker tool and find where that portal is set to relocate. Then browse in the coordinate bank and find some that will guarantee that this thing won't be making it there alive. Got it? I'll try to cripple him and knock him into the portal when you're done. Get on it!"

"Yessir," Barney replied curtly as he ran over to the portal adjustment bay to do some adjusting.

Gordon turned back to the advisor. He was awake again, and was moving toward him rather quickly. Gordon jumped and used the Gravity Gun to throw one of the advisor's legs out from under it. With it laying on the floor, he then dragged his head along the ground and into the wall. Surprisingly, it jumped up rather quickly and made its way to Barney this time. Gordon swiftly ran behind the advisor, jumped up onto its casing, and charged his Gravity Gun to shock the advisor. This time, it was a critical hit. Because of Gordon's close proximity, the shock sent the advisor flying upward into the ceiling, tearing one of its arms off. It hit the floor with a loud thud, and didn't move. With voice synth activated, Gordon could hear Dr. Breen. "No... get back up. I thought this was a great host body... It can't even stand up to this.. no... no."

With that, the voice trailed off and the advisor shut down. Barney turned around yelling that he had set the coordinates and that he was ready to send the creature packing. Gordon picked the lifeless body up with the Gravity Gun and proceeded to throw it into the portal. With a burst of sound and a flash of light, the body disappeared into the spiralling light, never to be seen again. Gordon turned to the lifeless body of Dr. Mossman. He managed to fry the circuit and bread open the case that restricted her so tightly... Now that they had Mossman and Breen was taken care of, they could make their escape.

Gordon suddenly remembered the time he had left. He told Alyx thirty minutes... it had already been twenty six, according to his watch. That left Barney and Gordon four minutes to get out of the tower completely. They turned to run toward the door and their quest to escape the ticking time bomb had started.

Meanwhile, Alyx, Griffith, and the rest of the resistance cavalry was waiting on the frozen tundra outside.

"Will they be alright? Can they make it out?" Alyx said as she turned to look at Griffith.

"I trust everything is fine, Alyx... Radio still out?"

"Of course. The static from the portal must have burnt Gordon's out."

"What's the time, Alyx?"

"They only have one minute left. They need to get out of there!" Alyx yelled. She was getting very uneasy. She didn't even know what had happened during the battle, and she had no clue where they might be. Time was running out, and if Gordon and Barney hadn't reached the second floor by then, there was a very slim chance they were going to make it at all.

Alyx, Griffith, and the resistance looked toward the tower. "Fifteen seconds!" Alyx yelled in distress... "Ten!"... The seconds were like hours. "Five...four...three... two... one..."

Alyx's quivering voice broke as the sky ignited in a mix of reds, blues, oranges, and yellows. The timer had reached its end, and everyone knew it immediately. The explosion shook the ice below their feet, and large masses of metal and glass were sent hundreds of feet in the air. The amount of power in the explosions of more than three hundred advisors was powerful enough to cripple the entire main structure, and everyone watched in horror as the entire structure collapsed on itself.

"GORDON! NO!" Alyx wept as she bolted for what was left of the building. Griffith took off after her. The pair ran across the frozen plain as fast as they could, with the troops following closely behind. When they got to the broken pile of rubble and metal, Alyx drops to her knees and starts searching. "Gordon?!?" she asks repeatedly. She moves to a different area. "Gordon?!?"

Something to their left catches her eye. One large shard of metal keeps moving, and they ran over to start moving it. They lifted it up to find a heavily injured Barney holding a Gravity Gun. He was unconscious, but breathing and had a heartbeat. Griffith lifted him up and told others to radio in a helicopter to come pick him up. Alyx was on the search for Gordon.

She ran to the other sections of rubble and waste, desperately moving it to try and find Gordon. She kept hearing a small noise that caught her attention, seemingly a short distance away. Alyx moved closer to the noise. When she finally located where it was coming from, she ran over to the rubble listening for any sign of life. Then she heard the familiar voice and beeps.

_Multiple lacerations detected. Administering morphine._

"Gordon!!" They yelled, as they made their way over to the rubble. Lifting up the sheet of metal, they are all stunned to see a motionless Judith Mossman and an injured Gordon Freeman. Alyx knelled besideof Gordon and kissed him with more emotion than she had ever felt before in her life. He was breathing and conscious, but barely. Alyx instructed him not to move.

"Everything will be okay, dear. I promise. Hold on for me."

The helicopter was closing in on the site. It landed and they quickly loaded the three into the back. It lifted up and made its way back to some warmth and comfort.

Vortigaunts were on standby to heal them. After they were unloaded and in the hospital wing, the vortigaunts made their way over and healed them while Alyx and some technicians were bandaging them up. Barney was still unconscious from a head wound, but Gordon was starting to realize where he was. He looked at himself to make sure everything was okay. Lucky for him, that HEV suit had protected him from so much... He then looked at his surroundings. Barney was injured pretty bad... but he had never been more happy to see Alyx in his life.

Alyx leaned down to hug him. "I'm glad you made it Gordon," she said as she faught back tears. "Barney is starting to come to."

Barney indeed was waking up. He looked at himself as Gordon did to make sure everything was in the right place. "Good to see you guys. I was worried for a while," he said as he laid back down to relax.

Gordon looked over at Barney. "We're going to be okay, Barney. And so is Mossman," Gordon said, looking over at his friend.

"Good to know, Gordon. It wasn't for nothing, then!"

"No... you faught bravely up there, Barney."

"Thanks, what fighting I did. The only thing I fought though was that stupid portal interface"

The three chuckled. "Hey speaking of portals, where did you set that thing to, anyway, Barney?" Gordon asked as he turned to face Barney.

"Hell," Barney replied.

The three of them needed rest deeply. Alyx crawled up into Gordon's hospital bed and Barney turned over to face the wall. They fell asleep like this; after a day like they had been through, rest was the best thing for them.


	10. The Wrath Unknown

10.

Alyx was extremely comforted to have Gordon back alive and well beside of her. It was dark in the hospital wing; and the only noises she heard were Barney and Gordon's snoring, and the sound of a healing vortigaunt every now and then. She turned over to face Gordon. His injuries weren't too severe... His leg was fractured, but repaired easily by a vortigaunt, and he had multiple lacerations on his abdomen and arms. What he had done in the tower was very admirable; Alyx couldn't imagine what Gordon and Barney had gone through in the top of that Godawful place. In a way, it just made her more attracted to Gordon.

She pulled the blanket back over them. "He's quite slim and built now that I can see him without his HEV suit on," she thought to herself. She lied there beside of him, admiring everything he had done. She let out a small cough from the dust, and realized that he was starting to stir.

"Alyx..."

"Shh... Gordon. Rest. Just go back to sleep. It's fine."

Gordon turned over to face Barney. Alyx ran her fingers through his short, dark brown hair and put her hand on his arm. He muttered something to himself and was back to snoring in no time.

The vortigaunt was back to check on Gordon and Barney. "The Freeman is well," it said as it turned to face Barney. "The Freeman's friend is also well. Healing fine. Watch them Alyx," the vortigaunt spoke to Alyx as he walked out the door. Alyx leaned up and kissed Gordon softly on the forehead, turned over, and fell asleep again under the warm blankets, thankful that she hadn't been hurt and thankful that everyone was okay.

"GOOD morning!"

Griffith Anderson and a couple of vortigaunts burst through the door carrying three trays of breakfast for the trio. Gordon jumped up and Alyx was already awake beside him in a chair. Barney turned over and sat up. "Can't anyone let a man- OH. Breakfast! That's what I'm talking about! I ought to be hurt more often!"

The trays were set in front of them and the three started eating. "Thanks, Griffith!" Alyx told him. She got up and gave him a hug in appreciation before he sat down beside of them. "Why aren't you eating?" Gordon asked.

"I've already eaten," Griffith claimed. "BUT. I do have a couple of surprises for you guys after breakfast."

The four of them sat and chatted for a while as everyone finished up their food. The vortigaunts took the trays away, and the medical vortigaunt asserted that Gordon and Barney were okay to get up and move. With that, Barney got up from his bed and tripped a little before gaining back his footing, and Gordon sat up and stepped off of his bed. Alyx put her arm on his and helped him along up the hallways and through the doors. When they came to the front, Griffith told them to stay and stepped forward to the double doors leading outside. When he opened them, some familiar faces stepped through. Dr. Kleiner walked through, along with Dr. Wallace; but most excitingly of all, DOG came ambling through the door.

"DOG!" Alyx yelled as she ran forward smiling from ear to ear. "I missed you so much! Is everything taken care of?"

DOG nodded repeatedly to Alyx and embraced her tightly as she petted his head.

Dr. Kleiner and Dr. Wallace turned to face Gordon and Barney. "That was truly spectacular, you two! Great show! Our electromagnetic readings were off the charts back at our hold up, even from that far away! We could see the portal flashes from that distance. We knew what you had done! Absolutely marvelous, Barney, and Gordon." Kleiner and Wallace patted the two on the back.

"No, Isaac, we owe you one. That virus you and Wallace made really saved everything. It pushed us close though. Haha. If it weren't for Alyx, we would have had some major trouble. I could handle one advisor, but over three hundred? Please Isaac," Gordon said with a chuckle.

"Gordon, I hate to tell you, but believe it or not, we still need to find the Borealis. Mossman knows more about it. Has she woken up yet?" Wallace said as he turned to Gordon.

"No, not yet. She was full of anesthesia. I'm surprised she wasn't a water balloon when we found her!" Barney interjected in.

Everyone laughed briefly. They decided to sit and have some coffee to pass the time. Vortigaunts were periodically checking on Mossman. They promised to alert the group as soon as she woke up.

Kleiner and Alyx stayed a bit behind with DOG while Gordon, Griffith, Barney, and Wallace went into the Mess Hall. There were some troops in there staying warm, but most of the other troops had gone downstairs to the Community Rooms where the entertainment was. DOG wanted Alyx to toss the ball with him, and they stepped into the Recreation center to practice around. Kleiner followed them and stepped beside Alyx.

"So Alyx, I hear you and Gordon kicked it off not very long ago. You know, that's what Eli wanted for you two. He trusted you and Gordon both. You both are so smart and caring; you deserve one another, especially after what all you guys went through. What do you think of him?"

Alyx turned around to look at Kleiner while tossing DOG's ball into the goal at the other end. "I find him so... intriguing, Isaac. He makes everything interesting for me. He's attractive, and has a wonderful personality. I can't stop thinking about him, really." Alyx turned around to pet DOG and threw his ball again. "He was so quiet when we both first met; I honestly didn't really care for him at all... he was so enigmatic... but I think I loosened him up a bit. After dad, well, you know..." Alyx looked across the room at DOG playing with the ball. "I needed someone, Isaac. Gordon has always been there. I have never been happier than when I'm with Gordon. I love him deeply, Isaac."

Isaac nodded in concurrence. "I'm proud of you, Alyx. You've matured into a wonderful young lady. I believe Gordon has also proven himself as a viable young man. He'll take care of you, Alyx." Dr. Kleiner responded. He turned to walk out and Alyx followed him into the Mess Hall.

Gordon, Barney, Wallace, and Griffith were sitting at a small circular table when the two and DOG walked in. They were laughing at a joke that Barney had told (as usual, the clown, Alyx said to herself). Isaac sat down beside Griffith and Alyx moved over close to Gordon and instructed DOG to stay put. The new guests were drinking freshly made coffee and wrapped up within some blankets to keep even warmer in the open hall. As soon as Alyx and Kleiner had joined the quartet of men, there was a soft knock at the door. "Is the Freeman in here with his companions?" spoke the medical vortigaunt from the other side.

"Yes he is," spoke Barney from the inside.

"Mossman has awoken. She requests the presence of the ones who saved her. Everyone follow me."

The ones at the table exchanged looks and everyone got up to walk out with the vortigaunt. The hall was a bit chilly, and they all formed a tight bunch together following the lone vortigaunt. They turned a corner and the vortigaunt stopped and turned around, addressing the whole bunch. "The Mossman is tired. What information you retrieve from her will be as little as none. Do not expect the most, Freeman."

The vortigaunt opened the door to let them all inside. Slowly, everyone shuffled in. The lights were dimmed, and they could still see Mossman was hooked up to drainers. Apparently, the anesthesia was extremely strong, and she had been out for several days. She looked extremely tired and drained. There were sacks under her eyes, and her skin was pale. She appeared deathly at first, but at closer inspection, she showed a dim glow in her face.

"Hi guys. Have a seat," she said. Chairs had been put in there around her bed. Seats were taken and Mossman sat up to face everyone.

"I want to firstly thank everyone here for helping me, for rescuing me, and for getting rid of Breen once and for all. I am certainly glad that you guys believed me, and that you came for me despite the dangers. I know something that you guys need to know; information that could kill millions of people or save them depending on who gets this information. I know what's on the Borealis, and that's why Breen found me and locked me up. I'm lucky he didn't kill me. But he knew he needed me for the information."

They couldn't believe it. They were so close to what they have needed the entire time... it was literally right in front of them. "Go on, Judith. We're listening," Gordon said intently.

I discovered it last year. When I sent you all the blueprints, I had actually seen some information and sheets detailing this experiment, but nothing was concrete yet. Then I overheard Breen before they tranquilized me. He confirmed to the combine that the experiment, codenamed "Cupcake" was a 'go' and that it was still on the Borealis.... But Breen was wrong. It's not on the Borealis anymore."

The crowd was stunned to hear this. The entire time, they've been thinking about finding the Borealis. Has this changed now? "Where is it? Don't tell me this is another needle in a frozen haystack..." Barney said.

"No. I know where it is."

"But what is 'it'"? Barney replied.

"Oh. Right. What Breen wanted on that ship was a weapon. This weapon was something that facilitated time travel and space travel."

"Tell us more," Gordon spoke.

"Bring me the computer," Mossman said as she motioned to a vortigaunt behind her. The vortigaunt brought up a large computer screen with a keypad. She had apparently uploaded information to the interface.

"Take a look at this. Here is the blueprint for it."

Mossman clicked some buttons and a large picture filled the screen along with a description. "This is a long range portal system. It magnifies a superfocused laser by using lenses, mirrors, and computer technology; then the system fires the laser from one of the systems on earth. With computer 3D universe coordinates and an integrated mapping system, it can search out any place in the universe and fire that superfine laser. This causes a portal to appear in the spot where the laser was fired, and it causes one to appear here on earth, from the designated tower that the one who fires chooses. Problem is, it warps the fabric of space-time so much, that gravity here on earth is made stronger in many places, and weakened on others. Do you understand how unstable that could make things?"

"Yes. It could destroy and disrupt the very center of the earth... but how accurate is it?" Alyx asked.

"Alarmingly, it's deathly accurate. Within millimeters, Alyx."

"That's frightening," Gordon interjected.

"Yes, it is. This makes universal travel a breeze. And if any other place gets a hold of this, aliens or who knows what could make their way onto earth. They never thought of these consequences."

Mossman shook her head. Everyone who was listening just sat there stunned. What an atrocious weapon that was... It was hard for them to even imagine if Breen had gotten a hold of it. All they knew was that hey had to find it. Even without Breen, there could still be a Combine uprising. And who was that man that had communicated with Gordon on so many occasions? Was he wanting this, too?

"Judith, do you know where it is exactly?" Griffith asked.

"I do. It's close. Very close, actually. You see, Aperture Science labs hadn't thought about how they were going to transport the Borealis safely. They loaded it on a boat, sent out some helicopters, and sent it into the Arctic. Not a good idea. The Borealis crashed a little ways off of this island, believe it or not. That's why it scared me; Breen was so close... he didn't know it was that close. Aperture Science went to try to retrieve the weapon, and never found it. They automatically assumed Breen had it. But he didn't. It was buried in the ice. I hacked into their systems and found the GPS tracker on it. It's in that ice."

This was a shocking revelation to them all. Mouths were open, Barney was on the edge of his seat, Griffith was pacing...

"It's simple. We MUST destroy it."

Gordon spoke these words with a great deal of gumption. He took a guess that he wasn't the only person who thought this. Griffith agreed loudly, and so did Barney. Alyx was thinking of her father and what he would have wanted. He would have used the technology... but the more she thought about it, the more she realized that if they used it, it would start most of this over again, and THEY would then be the tyrants who possessed such a strong armament.

"I agree," Alyx finally conceded.

"So do I, Judith. It's certainly what's best for the world and the universe as a whole. As certified doctors of science, I certainly believe that it's the best thing," doctors Kleiner and Wallace were in agreement as well.

"It's settled then," Gordon spoke. "Can we take care of this as soon as tomorrow?"

"It's certainly possible." Judith confirmed.

"Everyone, lets get a good night's rest. This is a task for tomorrow for sure. We'll decide how we'll handle it and it's disposal tomorrow. Off to bed with you!" Gordon was trying to perk everyone up after handling something as treacherous as they had just handled.

"Just like you, Gordon," Alyx said as she turned to walk out the door.

"Thank you, Judith," everyone said in unison.

"Goodnight," she spoke as they all walked out the door.

Some went left, some went right, but they were all going to bed. Slumbering was probably what they needed to clear their minds for tomorrow.

Griffith and Barney were going to room together, and, of course, Alyx and Gordon were going to share a room, if not a bed.

"Gordon, will you be ready for tomorrow?" Alyx asked Gordon as she sat on his cot.

"We'll see, Alyx. There is no way to know for sure what we'll encounter. I'll be there, for sure. Will you be there, Alyx? Will you be by my side?"

"Of course, Gordon. I wouldn't leave you for anything. I belong by your side, and it's by your side I'll stay."

Gordon was thrilled to hear this news. There was something he had been tossing around in his mind for quite some time. He didn't know how to say it. He didn't know how to ask. He had no idea where to start. Should I just come out with it? He would think to himself...

"Alyx, when this is all over, and we have a chance to rebuild again, what are your plans?"

Alyx turned to face him as he sat on the cot.

"Gordon, I have no idea. There's so many things to do, I... I hadn't really thought about it..."

"Alyx, would you start over... with me? Start a new life by my side, help people make new lives... start new lives of our own... together... Alyx, I've been thinking for a long time... Will you let me have you forever?"

He grabbed Alyx's hands in his own as he saw her eyes fill with tears. She didn't even see it coming.

"Gordon, I... Oh Gordon, of course I will! I would be so happy to be your bride... I can't think of anyone else I would rather--"

She couldn't speak anymore, for Gordon had leaned in and was kissing her rather intently. Their emotions were full of love, of care, of hope for a new beginning... Alyx ran her fingers through Gordon's hair as Gordon held her close.

Tomorrow was another day for them. As they closed this one, they didn't even care about what it held, or what would happen... all they knew was that something would happen, but also that no matter what, they would be together, and that they would last through any of it.

Across the hall, Barney and Griffith were sleeping soundly, as were the rest of the base.


	11. A New Start

11.

Gordon was the first to wake this time. He looked to his left and saw Alyx right there beside him. He first looked at the watch on his wrist to see what time it was. It happened to be 6:30, a bit early to be stirring around. Stretching a little, he turned over to face her. Some things were blurry without his glasses, but he could see her clear as day. Her deep brown, black hair, her soft skin tones, her soft lips that he had dreamt of so many times... Gordon reached up to move a strand of hair out of her face as she slept.

The blankets were so warm, especially when accommodated by two people. Compared to how cold it was outside, the warmth was welcome to any soul. The small wood stove in the room made it quite cozy to anyone's standard; some embers were still burning brightly in the bottom from the small fire the vortigaunts had made last night.

Alyx turned over to put her back to Gordon. He pulled the covers down to just a bit below the shoulder and put his hand on her side. He casually fell back asleep quickly.

Some time later, Barney stirred in his quarters. The two boys hadn't had a fire lit in their room, but their blankets still sufficed for warmth. "I guess it's coffee time!" he said with a large stretch and a nifty step out of bed. He walked out of the room quietly and to ok a peek through the window to see if Gordon and Alyx were awake yet. "How cute.... Lucky prick..." he said with a short chuckle. Turning the corner, he headed for the kitchen area. Kleiner and Wallace were already up and sharing a nice cup of Joe when he walked through the door. Barney was greeted with a warm welcome as he strode in wearing his robe and pajamas.

'What time is it?' Alyx asked herself as she turned around toward Gordon. She felt that she had been sleeping for quite a while; pulling the blankets down a bit, she lifted Gordon's hand up to see his watch. '9:30? That's late for me...' she said to herself as she placed Gordon's hand back beside of him softly and quietly rolled out of the cot. Everyone else was up when she walked into the mess hall to get some coffee. Then just a few minutes later, Gordon came in as well, making it a full house.

After they had all had their coffee, they got up and went into the room where Mossman was. She was awake too and having breakfast in bed.

"Hey guys! Are you ready to discuss?" she asked.

"Yes, we are. We need to go ahead and take care of this," Gordon answered.

"Okay. Take a look at this," she said as she wheeled around that large screen again. On the screen there were blueprints of the weapon itself. They noticed an attached computer interface. "You see that?" she said as she pointed to it. "Luckily for us, Dr. Kleiner and Dr. Wallace have developed another virus to disrupt its normal function. What this virus is going to do is cause the weapon to fire many lasers at one time. This disruption will ultimately rip the thing to shreads, as Dr. Kleiner explained to me today."

"Errr. That is correct, Judith," Kleiner replied in agreement.

"Now we just have to get the thing above the surface so that we can install this virus, right?" Barney asked them all.

"That is correct, Barney. But once we upload that virus, we have to put it back into the ice," Wallace spoke out.

"Why?" Alyx, Barney, and Griffith all three asked this time.

"Because we must contain the explosion. We detect that the temperature will increase around the world if we leave it uncovered. If we put it back in the ice, the ice will insulate the explosion and hold it inside. It will make everything... neat... you see," Wallace responded.

"So is it set? Can we move everyone out, now?" Gordon asked anxiously.

"We can. How you get that thing out of the ice is up to you, Gordon. But I'll be watching from here, and in case anything goes wrong, I can try to help."

Gordon and the rest of the group got up from the table and walked outside into the large connecting hallway. Troops were unarmed and resting from the years of fighting they had been through. In the faces of some of them, you could see everything they had done, all they had killed, the faces of the ones who had been killed beside of them. The tired looks all glanced up and stared at Gordon as he walked by. They knew him and respected him, and no matter how tired they were, they would do anything for the Free Man.

Gordon spoke loudly to address them all."Troops, here's what we're going to do. There is a very sensitive weapon close to this island. It's buried in the ice. What we have to do is dig it up, plant a virus inside, and bury it back. We'll need most of you to come along and help with defense, construction, and extraction. All of those in favor, come forward."

Slowly, every troop got up, grabbed their guns, and walked over to where Gordon stood. "A loyal following, Mr. Freeman," one said as he stepped forward.

They gathered as many supplies as they could and loaded them onto some helicopters. The troops loaded up, and they flew off to where the weapon was buried. When they landed, everything was unloaded, and it appeared like a very large construction site. Some people had barricades up, some were setting up the wench to lift the weapon out of the ice, some were cutting some of the ice, and even more were setting up defense in case something were to happen. Gordon instructed one of them to come set up the cutter so that they could drill into the ice where the weapon was held. After a while of drilling in the cold, they hit something. It was a hollow sound, and some of the men grabbed picks and started carving the ice where the item was to be found.

After what seemed like hours, a large box was sitting distinctly at the bottom of a large, well-like hole. They sent down the wench hook and attached it to the box and cautiously pulled it up foot by foot. Finally, the box was suspending in front of them, and they unhooked it and set it down on the ice. Barney and Gordon stepped forward with crowbars, no doubt, and pried the box open.

The contents were very large. It was a metal, circular item with a large computer interface. Many wires came out of the item in multiple places, more than likely power cords. It was longer than it was wide, and one humongous hole was in the center of it where a laser was to come out of. In a sense, it was like a very large gravity gun with a computer attached.

Kleiner stepped forward. "We MUST get everyone out of here as possible. Alyx, when you load that virus in, we will have five minutes to get out of the way. When I say 'way' I mean at least ten miles. The explosion will be large and the laser will be super visible. I am not joking when I say five minutes. We have to load it in, then lower the weapon down into the hole, and get out of here. Let everyone else go ahead and leave."

Gordon didn't like the idea, but he thought it would work just fine. All of the troops loaded everything up and left on the helicopters as Gordon, Barney, Kleiner, Wallace, and Griffith stood by the wench. "Now, Gordon and Griffith, when I load it, you lower it in. Barney, you get the helicopter started and ready for us to leave. Dr. Wallace, go ahead and get on. We'll follow."

They followed Alyx's instructions. The helicopter was started and the computer was hacked in just a few seconds by a daft Alyx Vance. In just a few keystrokes, the virus was in, and Griffith and Gordon lowered the monstrosity back into its hole. It was actually a delicate procedure that was quickly taken care of. "Let's go everyone! Hurry!" Alyx yelled as she hopped on the copter.

When everyone was on, the helicopter lifted off and started on its way back to the base. "We have two minutes!" Kleiner yelled. They could see the base from the air.

After landing, they all got off and turned around to face ground zero. Kleiner gave the countdown from five, and when he hit zero a large, sonic boom like sound shook the air, and the tense aura was intensified. Large, bright red lights filled the skies as water that was melted shot up in small dots and was instantly solidified by the bitter cold. Nearly fifteen lasers filled the sky, and storms brewed due to the change in electromagnetics; Even from that far away, they could sense all of the changes... it was a terrifying sight. As soon as it had started, however, it stopped, and smoke filled up from the site. They all knew it was over; they all finally had a sense of relief after all of these years...

"I'm so thankful we got this done. It's been a long time coming. I feel so much better..." Alyx said as she grabbed Gordon in a welcomed hug.

Everyone on the base felt this way. After so much strife, conflict, hell... everything was somehow over... Breen was gone, the weapon was destroyed... whatever deep, awful, foreboding feeling they had fostered before had gone, and the air returned to a quaint, soft atmosphere.

Kleiner spoke up. "I take it that it was a success!?"

"I'm sure, Isaac," Gordon replied.

This weapon was what the combine had been after the entire time. It was what had started most of the ordeal, and now was what ended it. What had been the source of years of dissension now lied in a frozen pile of ashes, silicon, and metal. The universe had been, for lack of better words, rescued from the people who were out to no good with this object. They all knew it was over. But no one knew what to do... do they return to what's left of their home? Do they give it one last shot and stand up to the straggling combine that's left? What future Alyx and Gordon had would be haunted by the history of a horrid fight. Nevertheless, they all had to start somewhere; obviously, they had to find a way to start fresh together.


	12. Epilogue

epilogue.

"Honey, can you get that for me?" Alyx said as she cleaned some dishes.

The phone was ringing behind her, but her hands were too wet to answer.

"Hello?" Gordon asked as he picked it up.

"Hey pal! What are you two doing?" Barney's voice glared from the other end.

"We're just relaxing. How's Krissy?"

Krissy was Barney's wife. They had met in City 17 some time ago when Barney was undercover. Their travels and reconstruction had brought them together, and he enjoyed her company so...

"She's fine!" Barney replied. "I was calling, though, to tell you of the phone calls I get all the time about the houses and towns we have built. Kleiner even called me the other day. He and Lamarr have settled in!"

Shortly after the destruction of the portal weapon, the resistance movement somewhat disbanded. They all had futures to build; even though they had disbanded however, they still helped as a group to build cities back again to their old states. City 17 was where Kleiner and Wallace resided; they were in charge of construction there. Alyx and Gordon lived in a more secluded region just west of City 17, and Barney and Krissy resided a bit south of Gordon and Alyx.

"Barney, I have good news!" Gordon resounded proudly. "We're expecting!" Alyx turned around to face him as she dried her hands. Both of their faces were filled with joy and brightness; these times were the ones they had both wanted for so long...

"Congratulations! That's so wonderful!"

Alyx walked over and put her arms around Gordon's neck and peered up at him. They were deeply in love.

"Barney, I have to go..." Gordon said as he casually put the phone down beside him... he was extremely distracted by something beautiful in front of him. "Alyx, we have a family now. This is what Eli wanted. It's what you want. It's what I want. More than anything, Alyx."

They kissed for a while, as they had before, and headed back into another room in their two story house.

Griffith had been put in command of what army the resistance had left. It was more of an order and disorder group, which disbanded any rioting, trouble, or disagreement that happened across the region. He repeatedly stated that he loved that job; he felt fine without a family, without a hearty home, without a companion. He had been born into war, and war was where he was to stay.

Wallace and Kleiner were neighbors. Wallace was always constantly complaining about Lamarr's escapades into his attic, and Isaac was always wanting Wallace's opinion on the engineering that was going on in the city. The remains of the Citadel were the first to go, and in the close proximity of the Citadel, new houses were already being built, and those that had been relocated were being brought back to their roots.

The progress that had been made was astounding. The scientists had all banded together on a development board, the resistance leaders had been put in leadership duties. Gordon was hailed as a freeman's hero, and was offered the head position. He declined, however, and gave it to Barney, with hopes of being Barney's advisor. To Gordon, it was time to start a family; a future. Home with Alyx was where he wanted to be, and where he planned to stay.

To them, everything was over. It was a fresh beginning now. Alyx was expecting, Barney had things under control, the scientists had all come together... what more could they all ask for? All portals had been disbanded, and all Combine connections had been severed. It was as if everything had returned to a better normal. Everyone was excited about a new beginning. Could they make it last?

Everyone was happy now; but somewhere off in a distant planet, a computer screen in front of a man whirred on, and the face of the G man filled the screen. "Hello. I have a job for you. Its denial offers severe consequences. Will you take it?"


End file.
